For Adam Clark and Erika Hughes, it was love at first sight.

"We knew right then the first time we met him, so it was instant," Hughes said of their Shiba Inu puppy Hiro.

  • 12 Florida Little Dog Rescue pups will be in Puppy Bowl this weekend
  • Some of those dogs are still up for adoption
  • Puppy Bowl tailgate Sunday at the Outpost Neighborhood Kitchen

But little did they know their new puppy was a draftee, taking part in this year's Puppy Bowl XIII on Animal Planet this weekend.

"We were very excited, we wanted to tell our friends so badly,” Hughes explained. “But because we signed an agreement we weren't able to tell anyone."

Hiro was freed from a puppy mill by Florida Little Dog Rescue, a pet rescue based out of St. Cloud.

"If we take him on a car ride and we leave him on the back seat, we're just stopping at a stop light and he'll just start crying because he thinks we're going to walk out of the car and leave him there," Hughes said.

Nikita, Alexander Hamilpup and Puddles are also among the 12 local doggies featured on the special Sunday. All of them are from Florida Little Dog Rescue.

It's not as easy as you think, looking cute under the bright lights of Puppy Bowl Field. Things like drinking too much water, tackling and sleeping on the field can all be penalties.

It doesn't just put the spotlight on the puppies. The Puppy Bowl is also a touchdown for rescues and shelters across the country.

"It really opens people's eyes that they don't have to go to a breeder to get a perfect dog," said Caitlin Johnson, the spokesperson for Florida Little Dog Rescue. "They can go to their local animal shelter. So it helps promote adoption."

Some of these players like Oliver the Poodle are looking for a forever home. Two Pomeranians, Choco Puff and Buttons will be up for adoption soon, pending on when they’re old enough to get spayed/neutered.

"It's hard to understand sometimes like what these dogs are thinking about. But you've got to teach them that it's OK now and he's going to be all right," Hughes said.

There will be a Puppy Bowl tailgate at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Outpost Neighborhood Kitchen in Orlando. Donations collected there will benefit special needs pups.